Nutrition Experts Research Articles

Creating a food environment scoring index for online food delivery outlets: Delphi study with Australian nutrition and public health professionals.

This study aimed to develop a scoring index for the healthfulness of food outlet menu offerings available through Australian delivery platforms. The Delphi method was employed to achieve consensus among a panel of Australian nutrition and public health experts regarding the food environment scores assigned to online food outlets, classified by type. From previous studies and scoping of delivery platforms, 36 food outlet types were identified. Australian nutrition and public health experts were recruited to complete an online Delphi survey to score the healthfulness of these outlets using a scale from -10 (least healthful) to +10 (most healthful), based on typical menu offerings. The first round of the survey was opened for approximately 5 weeks in July to August 2023, and the second round was opened for 2 weeks in September 2023. The mean food environment score, minimum and maximum awarded food environment score, and SD for each outlet type, and coefficient of variation was calculated after each survey round to provide a measure of the spread of the data around the mean and the degree of consistency in the distribution of responses. Following the second survey round, results were assessed for consensus among the participants. Fifty-four participants completed the round one survey, and n=14 completed round two. The majority of online food delivery outlet types received a food environment score of less than +5, and were considered 'less healthful.' Participants scored greengrocers as the most healthful outlet type (mean food environment score of 8.83 ± 0.37) and liquor selling stores as the least healthful (score of -8.10 ± 1.14). The group reached consensus after two survey rounds due to decreases in the standard deviations of mean food environment scores. This study provides an expert-informed tool, the DIGIASSESS tool, that can be easily applied by researchers, policy makers, health workers and public health professionals to understand the rapidly evolving online food delivery environment, including changes over time and areas for potential intervention.

Comparing effects of tangerine-peel (Citrus reticulata Blanco) age and concentration on deep-fried rabbit meat: Impact on heterocyclic aromatic amines, amino acids, and flavor compound formation

Many nutritional experts recommend rabbit meat as a high-protein source. However, the high temperatures used to prepare deep-fried rabbit meat (DFRM) typically produce numerous heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs), a class of substances with carcinogenic risks. In this study, we chromatographically evaluate changes in the volatile compounds, amino acids, and HAAs in DFRM while employing tangerine peel (TP) as an additive. A total of 35 volatile organic compounds are detected in the TP, which increase the concentrations of sweet and umami amino acids in the DFRM. Remarkably, the TP substantially inhibits the IQ-type HAAs, particularly MeIQ, MeIQx, 4,8-DiMeIQx, and PhIP, which are produced during deep frying. Correlation analyses reveal that the histidine, aldehydes, and alcohols are strongly and positively correlated (P < 0.001) with the MeIQ, MeIQx, 4,8-DiMeIQx, and PhIP production. This study offers innovative and natural approaches for reducing HAA formation during the frying of rabbit meat.

Youth and Adolescent Athlete Musculoskeletal Health: Dietary and Nutritional Strategies to Optimise Injury Prevention and Support Recovery.

Background: Despite the well-documented benefits of exercise and sports participation, young athletes are particularly vulnerable to musculoskeletal injuries. This is especially true during periods of rapid growth, sports specialisation, and high training loads. While injuries are an inevitable aspect of sports participation, the risk can be minimised by promoting the development of strong, resilient tissues through proper nutrition and injury prevention strategies. Moreover, targeted nutrition strategies can accelerate recovery and rehabilitation, allowing for a quicker return to sports participation. Methods: This narrative review synthesises scientific evidence with practical insights to offer comprehensive dietary recommendations aimed at strengthening tissues and supporting the healing process during recovery and rehabilitation. The selection of all sources cited and synthesised in this narrative review were agreed upon by contributing author consensus, experts in sports nutrition (R.A., H.V., B.D.) and exercise and sports medicine (M.H.). Results: Key topics include factors that contribute to injury susceptibility, general dietary recommendations for growth and development, sports nutrition guidelines, and nutrition considerations during injury and rehabilitation. This review also addresses external factors that may lead to suboptimal nutrition, such as food literacy and eating disorders. Conclusions: By highlighting these factors, this article aims to equip coaches, nutritionists, dietitians, athletic trainers, physical therapists, parents/guardians, sporting organisations, and schools with essential knowledge to implement effective nutritional strategies for injury prevention, recovery, and rehabilitation, ultimately enhancing long-term health and athletic performance.

The effect of administering aqueous extract of fermented Moringa oleifera leaves via drinking water on performance and carcass characteristics of broilers

The need to adopt natural herbal plants as feed additives in poultry production has received attention among poultry nutrition and production experts in recent years. Herbal plants have few or no side effects, unlike synthetic additives. The aim of the research was to examine the effect of fermented Moringa oleifera leaf aqueous extract (FMLAE) on growth performance and broiler carcass characteristics. A total of 240 healthy day-old-chick broilers with homogeneous average body weight were randomly divided into 4 treatments and 6 replications with 10 heads per cage in a completely randomized design. Fermented Moringa leaf aqueous extract (FMLAE) treatment was given through drinking water at levels: 0% as control (A); 2% (B), 4% (C), and 6% (D), respectively. The results showed that FMLAE supplementation in drinking water had a significant increase (P&lt;0.05) in body weight gain, carcass weight, carcass percentage, feed consumption and feed efficiency. It can be concluded that the addition of 2-6% fermented Moringa leaf aqueous extract (FMLAE) to the drinking water of broilers aged 0-4 weeks significantly increases growth, carcass and feed efficiency.

Data-driven development and validation of a nutrient-based score to measure nutritional balance of meals in the Philippines

BackgroundThe goal of the present study was to design an easily computable score, based on nutrient composition data instead of food groups, to evaluate the nutritional quality and balance of meals, adapted to the nutritional recommendations for Filipino adults.MethodThe score was defined as a weighted average of 9 nutrient scores. Protein, total fat, saturated fat, free sugars were scored as % of energy; calcium, fiber, sodium, vitamin C, magnesium were scored based on the local dietary reference intakes. The scoring algorithm was an adaption of a score previously developed by the authors based on US data. In the present study, the score was applied to 69,923 meals reported by 31,218 adult Filipinos aged 20 to 59 in the 2018 edition of the Philippine Expanded National Nutrition Survey to evaluate its validity and compare against exemplary meals designed as part of 24 h diet plans that meet local dietary guidelines.ResultsMeals from these exemplary menu plans, developed by local nutrition experts, scored on average 72.2 ± 13.9 (mean ± standard deviation) while those of survey participants scored 46.1 ± 12.9. Meal scores were significantly associated with the density of positive micronutrients (e.g., Vit A, Vit C) and favourable food groups (e.g. fruits, whole grains) not directly included in the algorithm.ConclusionThe score, between 0 and 100, is a valid tool to assess the nutritional quality of meals consumed by the PH population, accounting for both shortfall and excess nutrients, adjusted for the energy content of the meal. If applied to consumer-facing applications, it could potentially help users to understand which meals are nutritionally balanced.

Nutrition Education and Practice in University Dental and Oral Health Programmes and Curricula: A Scoping Review.

Dentists and oral health practitioners have a potential role in supporting the prevention and management of noncommunicable diseases. However, the extent to which university education prepares practitioners to provide nutrition care is unclear. This scoping review identifies and synthesises the evidence related to university-level nutrition education provided to dental and oral health students globally. A scoping review identified relevant literature through search terms "dentistry," "oral health," or "oral hygiene"; "dental students" or "dental education"; "nutrition education" or "nutrition science." Articles were included that examined nutrition education in undergraduate oral health training; or nutrition knowledge, attitudes, confidence, or skills or dietary habits; experts' opinion papers; and position statements. No limitations on the publication years or languages of the articles were applied. A total of 136 articles were included. Half were surveys of students (n = 49) or academic staff (n = 21). The remainder comprised reports of curriculum initiatives (n = 26), opinion papers or narrative reviews (n = 24), position statements (n = 6), curriculum development (n = 6) and curriculum guidelines (n = 9). While dental and oral health students and curriculum experts overwhelmingly recognised the importance of nutrition, most studies that assessed nutrition knowledge of students revealed limited knowledge. Students were not confident in their skills to provide nutrition care. Lack of nutrition experts on teaching teams and unclear expectations about developing nutrition competencies were identified as barriers to greater nutrition education. Nutrition education in university dental and oral health degrees is highly variable. The potential for oral health professionals of the future to promote oral health through nutrition is unrealised.

WHICH IS MORE EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING BLOOD PRESSURE IN HYPERTENSION PATIENTS: A LOW SALT DIET OR THE DIETARY APPROACHES TO STOP HYPERTENSION (DASH)?

Background: Hypertension is a disease that requires early attention. One effort to prevent increased blood pressure in hypertension sufferers is to implement a diet that has been consulted with nutrition experts. Objectives: The aim of preparing this literature review is to compare the effectiveness of implementing a low-salt diet and dietary approaches to stop hypertension from the results of previous research. Design: The design used in preparing this article is a systematic review. Data Sources: This systematic review used 5 search databases to collect articles, including SCOPUS, Pubmed, Google Scholar, DOAJ, and ScienceDirect with the search year range 2019-2024. Review Methods: The researchers used the JBI Critical Appraisal guidelines to determine articles suitable for this systematic review. Then, the selected articles were reviewed comprehensively using a narrative approach. Results: Search results obtained 10,685 publications. Researchers filtered by eliminating duplicate publications, reviewing articles, and focusing on the Issue of Interest in Table 1 totaling 9,578 publications. Researchers re-screened the title (n = 598), abstract (n = 387), and full text (n = 113) of each publication that did not meet the inclusion criteria in Table 1. The researchers found 9 full-text publications that met the requirements for use in this systematic review. However, researchers only used 7 publications because 2 publications were considered to have a risk of bias. Conclusion: Based on the results of a systematic review that has been carried out, it was found that implementing the DASH diet will be more effective than implementing a low-salt diet.

MedDietMenus4Campus: Integrating Views from Nutrition, Marketing and Psychology to Improve Diets

Abstract Food service is an important setting for public health interventions, educating consumers and modulating behaviours through the meals provided. Social Marketing is one of the strategies designed to promote behaviour change, which contributions to health and well-being of consumers are widely recognised. This project aims to identify the compliance of food service menus with the Mediterranean Diet (MD) in public high education institutes (HEI) canteens, pinpointing opportunities to intervene, namely: 1) promoting changes in the food offer addressing proximity to the MD, creating, and offering plant-based meals, with seasonable and local food products and 2) developing tailored social marketing strategies to engage stakeholders to encourage healthier and sustainable food habits. It gathers a team comprised of nutrition experts on public health and food service, food technologists, gastronomy experts, psychologists, and marketers. To achieve the objectives researchers will: 1) develop an index to evaluate compliance of menus with the MD; 2) define priority stakeholders and define a methodology for engagement; 3) evaluate perceptions, barriers and facilitators; 4) develop a meal plan framework; 5) develop a new food concept “student bag” (meal on the go) and test it for industry scale-up; 6) use previous diagnosis to develop social marketing strategies directed to stakeholders and consumers to achieve food behaviour change and 7) measure the impacts of the implemented strategies. This research intends to create and implement a new healthy and sustainable food service concept, expecting to define the standpoint to inspire other food service settings to achieve an effective and sustainable food offer change and positively influence food service consumers’ food pattern towards Mediterranean recommendations, while addressing the Sustainable Development Goals (3 - good health and 12 - responsible consumption and production; 17 - partnerships for the goals).

Correlation Between Mother’s Nutritional Expertise and Toddler’s Stunting Incidence in Wainyapu Village

Stunting is one of the world's nutritional challenges, particularly in impoverished and emerging countries. Stunting is an issue since it is connected with a higher risk of morbidity and mortality, as well as inadequate brain development, which leads to delayed motor development and stunted cerebral growth. The mother's health and nutritional status before and throughout pregnancy, the mother's body posture, the close spacing of pregnancies, the mother's adolescence, and poor dietary intake during pregnancy all have an impact on fetal growth and stunting risk. Stunting is influenced by the mother's nutritional expertise. This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between mothers’ nutritional expertise and the toddlers’ stunting incident in Wainyapu Village. This quantitative study employed an analytical survey design and a cross-sectional approach method. The population in this study were mothers who had toddlers 12-59 months and lived in Wainyapu Village. This study employed total sampling technique, with a questionnaire on mothers’ nutritional expertise as the research instrument. The Spearman correlation test was employed during data analysis. The findings yielded that the level of mothers’ nutritional expertise was mostly in the poor category (76.9%), with the incidence of stunting in toddlers as high as (75%), and there was a significant correlation between mothers’ nutritional expertise and the toddlers’ stunting incident as shown by Spearman correlation results were 0.945 with Sig p-value &lt;0.01. It is expected that this study can provide mothers some information to better understand the importance of toddlers’ nutritional expertise in order to avoid stunting

A Qualitative Study of Rural Plant-Based Eaters' Knowledge and Practices for Nutritional Adequacy.

(1) Background: Healthful plant-based diets, especially those rich in minimally processed plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, have been associated with a lower risk of diet-related chronic disease. However, individuals who limit or avoid animal products may be at risk of nutrient deficiencies, especially related to Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, iron, iodine, zinc, and protein. Such deficiencies can result in both short- and long-term health challenges. We used qualitative methods to explore plant-based eaters' knowledge and awareness of these eight nutrients of concern in diets that limit or exclude animal-source foods. (2) Methods: We conducted interviews with 28 rural flexitarian, pescatarian, vegan, or vegetarian adults in Vermont, USA. (3) Results: The participants positively viewed the healthfulness of plant-based diets, but many recognized limitations to accessing Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, and omega-3 fatty acids. They shared the strategies used to meet their needs including eating a varied diet, seeking out specific foods, and taking dietary supplements. Analyses identified gaps in the participants' knowledge related to nutrient bioavailability, food sources of specific nutrients, and the importance of zinc and iodine. Vegans-the highest-risk group-generally presented as the most knowledgeable. The participants noted a lack of local plant-based nutrition expertise. (4) Conclusions: Addressing the identified knowledge gaps and challenges to dietary adequacy, especially among those who limit, but do not fully omit, animal-source foods, may support plant-based nutrition.

Validation of a sports nutrition knowledge questionnaire for Sri Lankan track and field athletes

BackgroundWhile several validated sports nutrition knowledge questionnaires exist, none are specifically designed to assess the sports nutrition knowledge (SNK) of Sri Lankan track and field athletes. This study aims to validate the Sri Lankan Sports Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire (SLn-SNKQ), tailored for this athlete group, to provide more accurate and meaningful insights for research and practice. This will enable health professionals and coaches to confidently assess athletes’ nutrition knowledge, which directly influences their food choices.MethodsThe validity of the questionnaire was established through a multi-step approach. Content validity was achieved via ratings from nutrition experts, all of whom had specialized training in human nutrition and experience of working with athletes. Face validity was evaluated through in-depth telephone interviews with elite or highly trained athletes, using a retrospective think-out-loud protocol to gather feedback on the clarity and relevance of the questions. Construct validity involved nutrition-trained doctors (NTG), non-nutrition-trained professionals (NNTG), and elite-level athletes’ groups (AG). Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha, and test-retest reliability was evaluated.ResultsThe final tool comprised 123 individual statements or prompts (items) that were organized into 32 broader questions, spanning 12 sub-sections. Content validity was confirmed by fully integrating 49 out of 70 comments and partially integrating four comments received from nutrition experts for each sub-section. Face validity was established by fully integrating 33 out of 40 comments received from 16 elite and highly trained athletes. Construct validity was confirmed, indicating significant differences in the total scores achieved as a percentage of the SLn-SNKQ among the NTG (462.5, 92.5%), NNTG (223.5, 44.7%), and AG (235, 47.0%; p < 0.001). Reproducibility was established by strong test-retest reliability between individuals’ scores on two test attempts, three weeks apart (spearman’s correlation; ρ = 0.99, p < 0.05). Internal reliability for each sub-section met psychometric reliability requirements (Cronbach’s α > 0.7).ConclusionsThe SLn-SNKQ has been validated and demonstrates robust psychometric properties, offering a reliable tool for assessing SNK among Sri Lankan track and field athletes.

Continuous Postpandemic Increase in the Use of Nutrition Fact Labels Among Korean Adults: A Weighted Multiyear Analysis of a Nationwide Survey.

Nutrition fact labels (NFLs) have advantages because they are an intuitive tool that provides unified information regulated by the government and does not require any devices or special skills. During pandemic, with increased interest in information about healthy food choices and optimum nutrition, frequent exposure to NFLs on pre-packaged foods and dietary supplements may have helped consumers become aware of and/or use NFLs. We aimed to evaluate NFL usage changes from the pre- and early to the late pandemic years in the Korean adult population, using data from the Korean Community Health Survey (3-year total respondents n = 687,610) conducted from 2019 to 2021. NFL awareness, effect, and utilization ratios in each subgroup (sex, age, diabetes mellitus/hypertension, subjective health status, and physical activity) were analyzed for the 3 years by the cross-tabulation test of weighted complex sample analysis. Despite the declining awareness of NFLs in the Korean population, the proportion of individuals who were affected by the NFL content in the entire population and the utilization ratio among those who were aware of NFLs increased continuously during the early and late pandemic periods. Thus, Nutrition experts and policy-makers need to increase efforts to maintain interest in NFLs that emerged during the pandemic. NFLs, a conventional but well-regulated and effective tool, may have enabled the Korean population to make healthy food choices during the pandemic.

Cow's milk allergy treatment. An expert consensus

The treatment of cow's milk protein allergy is based on the complete elimination of cow's milk protein from the diet. To achieve remission of symptoms and future tolerance, exclusion must be total. In formula fed infants the extensively hydrolysed formula is the most appropriate option in mild or moderate forms, while those based on amino acids are reserved for the most severe cases. The treatment time, the acquisition of tolerance and the moment for the oral provocation test will vary according to the clinical picture, the immunological mechanism involved and the age of the patient. The aim of this consensus has been to reflect the updated knowledge together with the experience of neonatologists, pediatricians, experts in allergy, nutrition and gastroenterology.

Development of Nutrant Application Based on Android Platform for Individual Nutrition Assessment

The nutritionist should keep abreast of technological developments to improve information on nutritional needs and assessment of individual nutritional status, supporting efficient community and clinical nutrition reporting, which can facilitate nutrition assessment and intake monitoring. This study aims to develop and evaluate the functionality and usability of an Android-based nutrition assessment application, NutrAnt, for individual nutrition assessment. The design used a Research and Development (R&amp;D) model conducted in Banda Aceh City and Aceh Besar from April - December 2023. The subjects involved 53 nutritionists and nutrition experts who were purposively selected. The method used is the Waterfall Models which consists of four stages: problem identification, system design, system development, and system testing. Application testing is done with blackbox testing and usability testing. Results showed high functionality ratings, with an 85.5% satisfaction score from Health Office nutritionists and a 90.0% score from a team of nutrition experts. NutrAnt proves to be a valuable tool, significantly enhancing the capabilities of nutritionists in assessing patient nutritional needs both in community and clinic settings. Future development should consider expanding the app's functionalities and adapting it for a broader user base. This innovation offers a practical advancement in digital tools for nutrition assessment, with promising implications for improved nutritional care and reporting.

A Mobile Gaming App to Train Teenage Mothers on Appropriate Child Feeding Practices: Development and Validation Study.

Undernutrition is an underlying factor in nearly 50% of 1 million estimated annual deaths among Nigerian children aged <5 years. Inappropriate maternal infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices are basic contributors to child undernutrition. Teenage motherhood exacerbates the problem of inadequate child feeding. One possible intervention method to improve IYCF knowledge and practices of teenage mothers is the use of mobile gaming technologies. Despite extreme poverty in low- and middle-income countries, a ubiquity of mobile phone networks exists. This study aims to develop and validate a mobile gaming app, called BabyThrive, to train Nigerian teenage mothers on appropriate IYCF practices. To identify gaps in current IYCF practices in northern Nigeria, we conducted an extensive search of the literature and held 2 focus group interviews with 16 teenage mothers with low-income status. An initial app content design was then created, and content validity was established by 10 nutrition experts. Next, we developed an app prototype, which was assessed for quality by 7 nutrition and mobile gaming experts and evaluated for usability by 90 teenage mothers from rural areas in Abuja, the country's capital. The final app, BabyThrive, is a 2D mobile game that is fully functional offline and available in English as well as Hausa, which is commonly spoken in northern Nigeria. The efficacy of the BabyThrive app was assessed using IYCF knowledge scores obtained from the administration of the validated Teen Moms Child Feeding Questionnaire for Sub-Saharan Africa. Construct validity was established via crossover design by comparing the total IYCF knowledge scores of the teenage mothers obtained after a verbal training program and BabyThrive app use. Large proportions of the study participants were married (53/90, 59%) and had no personal income (63/90, 70%). The mean quality rating for the BabyThrive app was 4.3 (SD 0.39) out of 5.0. High levels (>80%) of usability and user satisfaction were documented. Knowledge of exclusive breastfeeding (P<.001) and total knowledge scores (P=.002) were significantly higher in the BabyThrive group than in the verbal training group. The IYCF knowledge scores obtained from both groups showed coherence, with a statistically significant Spearman correlation coefficient of 0.50 (P<.001). This research developed and validated a novel, offline mobile gaming app. It will be an easy, effective, and acceptable method to disseminate critical knowledge on IYCF practices to teenage mothers in rural Nigeria.

Application of MICMAC and Regnier’s Abacus Techniques to Assess the Association between High Sugar Diet and the Prevalence of Dental Caries in Young Adults

This study aimed to identify and assess the association between a high-sugar diet and the prevalence of dental caries in young adults. In addition, these variables were prioritized based on their relevance and dependence using the complementary methodologies MICMAC and Regnier’s abacus. A literature review was conducted to identify the related variables. A group of 10 dentistry and nutrition experts assesses the importance of these variables using a structured questionnaire. As a result, both methodologies agreed on the importance of dental hygiene and the frequency of sugar consumption in the prevalence of dental caries. Access to dental health services was also identified as a significant factor. These findings are relevant because they have implications for the formulation of public health policies and the design of strategies that can reduce the impact of dental caries to improve the dental health of the population.

Conference Report: Leveraging the Global Malnutrition Composite Score for Quality Improvement, Health Equity, and Better Patient Outcomes

Effective January 2024, the United States Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services (CMS) for the first time has included a nutrition-focused quality measure in the Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) Program: the Global Malnutrition Composite Score (GMCS). The GMCS is an electronic clinical quality measure (eCQM) that hospitals can choose to report voluntarily to meet the requirements for IPPS IQR payments. The GMCS can help improve hospital malnutrition care and help advance hospital health equity goals. This conference report summarizes a panel discussion at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Food and Nutrition Conference &amp; Expo in October 2023. During the panel, four health and nutrition experts described strategies for integrating the GMCS into hospital electronic health records (EHRs). They also outlined how GMCS data can be used to facilitate successful patient transitions to post-acute care through addressing food insecurity and other reasons for malnutrition. Such strategies can serve to help avoid preventable complications and readmissions, improve patient outcomes and health, and meet quality and health equity objectives, while helping reduce overall healthcare costs.

In vitro simulated gastrointestinal digestion and bioaccessibility of phenolic compounds and antioxidants of soursop (Annona muricata L.) peel and pulp

We evaluated the nutritional composition and quantified the bioactive compounds present in the soursop pulp and peel and investigated the impact of in vitro simulated gastrointestinal digestion on antioxidants and phenolic compounds of soursop. Soursop peel had a significant amount of fiber (17.6 g.100 g−1 w.b.), particularly insoluble fiber (16.8 g.100 g−1 w.b.), and higher levels of total phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity than pulp. The pulp has 30% higher levels of ascorbic acid than the peel (40.2 mg ascorbic acid 100 g−1). Gallic acid, benzoic acid, coumaric acid, ferulic acid, and hesperidin were detected in the peel and pulp of soursop. After in vitro simulated gastrointestinal digestion, results show that total phenolic compounds of the peel exhibited stability throughout the gastric and intestinal stages. In the pulp, simulated digestion showed an increase in total phenolic compounds on enteric II stage. About antioxidant compounds, peel showed stability in DPPH assay and higher accessibility in the enteric II stages (40% and 29%) on ABTS and FRAP assays. Soursop pulp increased accessibility in the gastric stage on DPPH and FRAP assay. In the ABTS assay, soursop pulp showed the highest values in enteric phase II. The in vitro accessibility of these compounds offers insights into their potential utilization by the organism. This knowledge holds significant implications for nutrition experts, as it can advise the development of healthier dietary habits.

Empowering of Oncology Patients and Informal Caregivers: Analysis of an Interdisciplinary Seminar Model for Breast Cancer and Gyneco-Oncological Patients

Introduction: The interdisciplinary empowerment seminar aims to familiarize patients and informal caregivers (ICs) with supportive measures, focusing on understanding disease, therapy, and side effect management. Methods: The seminar, conducted in two courses over 1-month intervals prior to chemotherapy, included lectures, supportive materials, Q and A sessions, and individual discussions with experts in nutrition, exercise, psycho-oncology, and complementary medicine. Evaluation is based on a self-developed questionnaire and questionnaires on QoL (EORTC-QLQ-C30, BR23, CX24, OV28), anxiety and depression (HADS-D) at week 0, 5, 9, and 12. A control group with standard of care was evaluated at baseline and after 12 weeks. Results: Between October 2020 and May 2021, 19 patients and 9 ICs participated in the seminar. The control group included 20 patients. 96.4% of participants were highly satisfied with the seminar and would recommend it. QoL deterioration was more pronounced in the control group (control: week 0 = 67.6; week 12 = 61.7; intervention: week 0 = 60.8; week 12 = 60.7). This trend could not be proven by analysis of interaction (mixed ANOVA: p = 0.114). Increased confidence of participants’ knowledge about side effects was shown, and ICs reported higher confidence in knowledge and coping with the disease. Conclusions: The seminar received positive feedback and indicated increased knowledge and a trend toward better QoL preservation. Larger studies are needed for confirmation. The seminar effectively addressed unique needs, bolstering confidence and knowledge. Interdisciplinary patient and caregiver empowerment seminars can improve disease-related knowledge and positively affect QoL at the start of chemotherapy. Informational needs can be satisfied. Offering educational seminars and fostering individualized support networks can increase quality of care.

A knowledge-based decision support system to support family doctors in personalizing type-2 diabetes mellitus medical nutrition therapy

BackgroundType-2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2D) is a growing concern worldwide, and family doctors are called to help diabetic patients manage this chronic disease, also with Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT). However, MNT for Diabetes is usually standardized, while it would be much more effective if tailored to the patient. There is a gap in patient-tailored MNT which, if addressed, could support family doctors in delivering effective recommendations. In this context, decision support systems (DSSs) are valuable tools for physicians to support MNT for T2D patients – as long as DSSs are transparent to humans in their decision-making process. Indeed, the lack of transparency in data-driven DSS might hinder their adoption in clinical practice, thus leaving family physicians to adopt general nutrition guidelines provided by the national healthcare systems. MethodThis work presents a prototypical ontology-based clinical Decision Support System (OnT2D- DSS) aimed at assisting general practice doctors in managing T2D patients, specifically in creating a tailored dietary plan, leveraging clinical expert knowledge. OnT2D-DSS exploits clinical expert knowledge formalized as a domain ontology to identify a patient's phenotype and potential comorbidities, providing personalized MNT recommendations for macro- and micro-nutrient intake. The system can be accessed via a prototypical interface. ResultsTwo preliminary experiments are conducted to assess both the quality and correctness of the inferences provided by the system and the usability and acceptance of the OnT2D-DSS (conducted with nutrition experts and family doctors, respectively). ConclusionsOverall, the system is deemed accurate by the nutrition experts and valuable by the family doctors, with minor suggestions for future improvements collected during the experiments.